Friday, April 26, 2013

Another month, another killer Popshop Brooklyn bill ready to bowl you over. Up first, we've got Aussie party kids, The Griswolds, making their NYC debut, before Little Daylight shine in the main support slot a month after debuting their live show at Popshop NYC a few weeks back. Then in the headline slot, we've got LA's princes of darkness Sir Sly shutting things down as they make their Brooklyn live debut. It's all going down on May 11th at Brooklyn Bowl, with advance tickets available HERE now.

Picking up where CHVRCHES left off, Prides are the latest new band to carry the torch forward for Glasgow. Much like their previous project Midnight Lion, Prides have an out-of-the-box arena-ready quality to them, and nowhere is that more evident than on debut single "Out of the Blue". Packing a swift uppercut of anthemic, off-kilter bagpipes (okay fine they're synths) and empire-toppling big beat drums, the song enthralls like CHVRCHES crashing into Little Daylight on an intergalactic space high and never ever coming down. Cop the exclusive download below.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Up and coming California foursome The Colourist have been on cruise control with the radio-reaching immensity of debut single "Little Games". Enter St. Lucia, who's been on a winning streak with gravity-defying remixes for Passion Pit, Foster The People, and Morning Parade thus far. This time around, St. L drowns the hook in shimmering synths and a watery backbeat, flipping the alt-radio anthem into a cool tropical breeze. It's the perfect vessel to carry you from spring into summer, sail away below.

We've got a pretty epic run of Popshops lined up for NYC this spring, but don't for one second think we were gonna leave LA hanging in all of this. After hosting the worldwide live debut of Shaun White and his new band Bad Things last month, we're back with another highly anticipated live debut as Bom Bom step into the spotlight for the very first time at our next Popshop West throwdown. Then holding down the main support slot we've got our men in black, Lovelife, before Sweden's next great hope Kate Boy closes out the night in the headline as they make their LA debut on our stage. It's all going down Tuesday June 11th at The Echo with $10 advance tickets available this Saturday HERE.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Our infatuation with Mr. Little Jeans's latest offering is quickly snowballing towards critical mass, and today Strange Talk arrive to accelerate the process even further with a brand new remix of the track. The Aussie synth lords take the dreamcatcher innocence of "Oh Sailor" and ship it forward in time, resulting in a crystalline interpretation that channels the windless heat of RAC's monumental Foster the People remix. It's a befitting makeover for the Norwegian pop princess that won't disappoint, grab the exclusive download below.

We're always on the lookout for new hometown heroes and so far 2013 has been a good year for our fair city. Today it's time to get familiar with ASTR, a new futuristic pop outfit that are set to make a name for themselves around town in the months to come. Debut single "Operate" pops into the tape deck and immediately whirrs to life, channeling the nostalgic drama of Miami Vice and classic horror film scores through gorgeous R&B-tinged vocals and temperamental hip-hop snares. It's every bit as cinematic as you'd expect, a smooth operator in the cool of night that makes for a promising debut from the NYC duo.

SXSW, done. Coachella, over. Now it's just time for one more stop on the holy trinity of spring festivals, as we take New Shapes overseas for a very special Great Escape takeover in Brighton next month. Teaming up once again with our UK brothers-in-arms Chess Club and National Anthem, we're back with another star-studded New Shapes bill to Brighton up your life in a big way.

Getting things started, we've got Canadian delights Diana and UK songstress Lulu James, before our homegirl MØ (holla holla holla) turns things up in the direct support slot. Then closing out the night in what's sure to be one of the biggest sets of the festival, CHVRCHES take over and send things to infinity and beyond in the headline. It all pops off Saturday May 17th at 7pm down on the beachfront at Digital, with wristband-only entry as always and - if the last few years have been any indication - there's probably a line down the block so get there early. You won't regret it.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Australia just gives and gives and gives. Their latest offering comes in the form of The Preatures, who arrive on the scene like Australia's answer to HAIM with a touch of The Velvet Undergound. With new single "Is This How You Feel", the Sydney five-piece effortlessly carve inroads into throwback pop-rock like it's second nature, all irresistibly sultry girl vocals and fiercely gyrating basslines. It comes off like the perfect midpoint between HAIM and Atlas Genius, and we wouldn't be surprised to see The Preatures following Atlas' footsteps onto US airwaves in no time at all. Suffice it to say, you're going to want to keep a close eye on this lot.

With Governor's Ball coming in HOT this June in New York, we're very excited to be teaming up with the festival to bring you two very special Popshop shows on their regularly scheduled dates during Governor's Ball weekend. Kicking everything off we've got Popshop NYC doubling as the official Governor's Ball kickoff party Thursday June 6th at Santos, as Swedish pop sensation Kate Boy makes her US debut alongside Chicago's resident party monsters, Hey Champ and Gemini Club. Tickets for June 6th at Santos are currently on sale HERE.

STREAM: "Northern Lights" - Kate Boy

DOWNLOAD: "Cliché" - Hey Champ

STREAM: "Sparklers" - Gemini Club

Then on Saturday, we're bringing you the official Governors Ball afterparty in the form of Popshop BK at Brooklyn Bowl, with a very special live headline set from our beloved HAIM, plus support from Kate Boy as she closes out her maiden voyage to NYC. To call this a big weekend would be a criminal understatement, and tickets for both of these are sure to go fast (and in the case of Popshop Brooklyn, in the blink of an eye) so do. not. sleep. You can get your tickets for June 8th at Brooklyn Bowl HERE on sale this Friday. Let's do this.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

So you thought that Macklemore and Ryan Lewis were the first people to ever go drunk vintage shopping? Think again. For the past two years, our friends over at the Vintage Crawl have been shopping and drinking their way through North Brooklyn twice a year and offering unreal discounts at participating stores and bars along the way. This time around we wanted in on the action, so on Saturday April 27th, we're joining forces to bring you the official afterparty to the day's debaucherous self-led shop and bar hop. Keep the party going with us at Brooklyn Bowl with a headline set from cousin-core electronic duo Javelin, with support from synthed-out sweethearts Jamaican Queens and Brooklyn hometown heroes Tiny Victories.

BUT WAIT, it gets better - bring your ticket to the show on the crawl (either printed or on your phone) to unlock another level of deals at all participating businesses. Go HERE to download the map of all stores and bars involved as well as a list of discounts available to all crawlers. And whether you're trying to get your shop on or just have a big night out at Brooklyn Bowl with us, tickets are available to all comers HERE. Time to pop some tags people, feel free to visit Vintage Crawl on Facebook for more info.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

If you live in the real world, you've already heard the new Knocks single featuring our very own in-house superstar, St. Lucia. But if you thought things couldn't get much bigger than that, Goldroom is here to inform you that you're sorely mistaken. On his latest remix, The Room straps jetpacks to Jean's heavenly vocals, as they take off into the twilight grooving along a smooth nu-disco runway. This summer's sunsetter anthem has arrived, folks.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

The latest Swedish export to hit our shores is a duo called Taped Rai. The wistful intro of debut single "Shadow of the Sun" wraps itself around you with heart-wrenchingly earnest vocals and a reflective piano bit that burns holes in your soul. Between the melodically pristine hook and the full-on solar eclipse of hands-in-the-lasers club levels in the climax, this could be a Top 40 smash had the duo followed a more traditional songwriting structure, but it's even more impressive that they haven't. From the audio to the video above, "Shadow of the Sun" is a cinematic accomplishment from a distant universe, like something out of Sound of Arrows' oeuvre as directed by Lars Von Trier. Beyond epic.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

The Jungle Giants are the latest Australian act to parachute onto our shores from halfway around the world. The Brisbane four-piece dropped their latest EP in the twilight of last summer and our favorite cut, "You've Got Something", is a hard-hitting clean sweep of Pacific heat. From the first lyrical punch, they're in your face like Two Door Cinema Club tangoing with The Wombats, and what starts with a slow simple construction quickly snowballs into a power-hungry Wolf Gang stadium-filler. Dear Jungle Giants, you've got something that everybody wants.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

We've been loving Mr. Little Jeans' debut album since she first sent us a secret preview of it late last year, and now she returns to publicly unveil our favorite track from it, "Oh Sailor", as her new single. A billowing youth anthem in waiting, Monica's wistful vocals drift in and out of your dreams, walking a delicate line between the whispered beauty of Lykke Li and the skyscraping uplift of The Naked & Famous' Alisa Xayalith. And when the ocean-sized chorus engulfs you with ageless harmonies from the Silverlake Conservatory Of Music Youth Chorale, it's like nothing else you've ever experienced in 2013. Truly perfect.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

That huge new Knocks single featuring St. Lucia arrived today at long last, and it's every bit the monster we warned you it would be. Bagpipes in the club, deep house o'clock. Own it all for yourself on April 16th, keep an eye out.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Hot on the heels of April's incredible Popshop throwdown last week, we're back to kickstart your summer with a May installment that promises to pick up right where last Thursday left off. Returning to the Popshop stage we've got NYC's finest, Ghost Beach, in the headline slot with direct support from our favorite new band of 2013, Magic Man, as they grace NYC for the first time since launching their new and improved full band live show. And rounding things out are LA's own dynamic duo, Wardell, stealing sunshine and warming up the stage early on. If that wasn't enough, we also have an open whisky bar of Cutty Sark. It's all going down Thursday May 2nd at Santos Party House, with doors at 9pm sharp and $10 advance tickets HERE. Come live the dream with us, New York.

Friday, April 5, 2013

Magic Man are quickly establishing themselves as one of the best new bands of 2013, and with phenomenal singles like "Paris" and "Texas" already under their belt, it feels like the sky is the limit for the Providence fivesome. Now they return with their debut remix offering, taking on Pacific Air's latest single "Lose My Mind" with true Ivy League swagger. They brandish the original hook, dip it in a futuristic palette of mountain-scaling synths and electronic heart flutters, and the result is a feverish blast of Atlantic gusto ready to sweep you off your feet.

We've been on the Ghost Loft train for a long minute, and now the LA shadow kid is back with new single "So High" sounding loftier than ever. All swirling ethereals, hazy-eyed vocals and slow-burning melodrama, the track comes across like the soft-spoken lovechild of The Weeknd and The Neighbourhood and picks up where the boundless promise of debut offering "Seconds" left off. Keep an eye out for Ghost Loft's debut EP and live shows this spring.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Little Daylight has been holding down the remix game for a minute now and after a pair of brilliant originals, we're here to talk about their treatment for The Mowgli's. Daylight spin their feel-good rock anthem "San Francisco" into an astrophysical exercise of electronic pop pushups and nu-disco pullups. It's an impossibly jubilant number that we can get behind any time of day. Catch Little Daylight LIVE tonight at Popshop, advance tickets still (barely) available HERE. And don't miss The Mowgli's first sold out NYC show tomorrow at Mercury Lounge.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

You may remember Mandy Lee from that disco-knighted M83 "Midnight City" remix that The Knocks put out last February, but she's actually got a little project of her own called MISTERWIVES. Debut single "Vagabond" is a piano-riddled lovedrug of a folk song that flaunts its way through the midwest like Alex Winston's kid sister on a bullet train to the Heartland. If you were looking for a change of pace, here's a new starlet to get familiar with.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Little Daylight swept the blogosphere like a fluorescent carpetbomb with their debut single "Overdose" earlier this year, and now the Brooklyn trio have released their second single "Name In Lights". The perfect complement to its predecessor, "Lights" drops in like mellow dynamite, a soft blow to your mind that you can't help but fall in love with. As the manic pixie dream-laced vocals seep in, the pensive gossamer synths play nicely alongside an angelic percussive patter, and with early offerings like these, it should come as no surprise that a label bidding war is currently hitting critical mass. Little Daylight will be making their NYC debut at Popshop this Thursday, and with advance tix still available HERE, you're gonna wanna lock yours up sooner rather than later. Trust us, this is not one to be missed.

Goldroom has been the sole purveyor of endless summery remixes for over a year now, and with his original tracks coming in just as hot these days, he's starting to inspire some pretty big time remixes. On The Room's newest, "Only You Can Show Me," The Knocks turn down the tropical atmos and turn up the club potential on a remix that finds the perfect middle ground between sunset and sunrise.

And in return, Goldroom has blessed The Knocks' forthcoming heater "Modern Hearts" (featuring the one and only St. Lucia) with a blissed out remix of his own. Catch the trailer for "Modern Hearts" above to help pass the time until the full length original and Goldroom mix roll out in the weeks to come, and don't miss Goldroom making his live debut at Popshop this Thursday (advance tix still available HERE).

Monday, April 1, 2013

We've got one of our best and biggest Popshop lineups to date coming in hot this Thursday, and as if the bill alone wasn't enticing enough, we've brought our friends at Cutty Sark on board for a little open bar whiskey action to get the night started right. Between Alex Metric's first NYC headline and Goldroom bringing his new live set up east for the first time, plus Little Daylight making their New York live debut amidst a furious major label bidding war and Lovelife making their triumphant return to the Neon Gold stage, it's going to be a night for the ages. It's all going down from 9pm this Thursday at Santos, with open bar Cutty Sark whiskey from 9pm-10pm and $10 advance tickets going fast but still available HERE. And because we're never not feeling generous, we're also giving away a few pairs of free tickets via Gimme.io, enter HERE to win.

There's no denying that MS MR has been smashing it as of late on a very global scale (see: festival audiences in the thousands Down Under, a sold out run through the UK and Europe, and a massive sync on the latest Game of Thronestrailer). And with their newest single "Fantasy" quickly amassing an impressive remix package featuring the likes of Kele Okereke and Xaphoon Jones, MS MR's human drum machine himself, Zach Nicita, throws his hat in the ring with a thunderstealing mix of his own on a fantastic remix debut. Over a sidewinding bass line that just doesn't quit and a flickering percussive rhythm, it replaces the glittery innocence of the original with a shadowy ominousness that reimagines "Fantasy" in an entirely new light.